12% of UK workforce has lost work data over the past year finds survey

According to a survey by the data recovery, information and e-disclosure service company, risk manager fears will also be raised by the news that 1.9 million employees, or 7%, now carry confidential work data on personal mobile or handheld devices not supplied by their employer.

The number of employees accessing work information from a remote device has ‘soared’ in recent times, said Kroll Ontrack, with 10.3 million UK workers now using personal laptops, along with tablets and handheld devices, for storing work data.

Despite the increased risk involved with using external storage, the survey finds that one in five-21% or 5.7 million-UK employees admit to saving critical work information on removable media devices such as flash drives. This figure increases to 27% for those aged between 25-34.

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Robert Winter, Chief Engineer, Kroll Ontrack, said: “One of the biggest challenges for businesses today is to understand and manage the huge quantity of data they hold. Unfortunately, due to an increasingly mobile workforce, the risk of losing confidential data is heightened exponentially, unless the correct preventative action is taken. As a result, businesses are not only jeopardised financially but also run the risk of damaging their reputation.”

“This research clearly shows that organisations need to do much more to help protect their data. Companies must implement thorough policies and procedures to help staff understand rules and security features surrounding bring your own devices (BYOD),” he added.

The survey was based on ICM interviews with 2,000 employees from across the UK in August.